[breech]

I bought my M&P 40 with the intentions of using it for work (LE). After I read all the reported problems I began to worry a little. I know there are thousands of M&P's in service right now without any problems. Problems reported here are only a fraction of the owners.

I sent S&W's customer service an email inquiring about the issues of bad mag catches and broken strikers on the M&Ps. I also submitted the prefix of my gun to them (MPJ). Here's what they had to say..



This is verbatim from the response email I received..

hi

not to be concerned.you have a life time warrenty on this gun.

thanks

mo

I don't care about the warranty.. I want to know if my gun will fail or not when I need it..

Everyday I get turned off more and more. I will keep the gun as part of my collection and IDPA gear but I don't have 100% trust using it to possibly save my tail and/or others.

Sorry for the rant. Mods can move this to another forum if appropriate.

 

[Fallschirmjäger]

Revolver's jam, Glock's kaBoom, M16's have jammed, flintlocks misfire...you want reliability stick with a rock.

The trouble is that in our new fangled information age, any little problem gets maximum exposure, ESPECIALLY in a user group such as this. There are only a few hundred regular posters, as opposed to tens of thousands of S&W's out there.



What were you expecting S&W to say? "Only x percentage of XXXXXX have had any problems, your's isn't on our list of ones that will have a problem."

 

[choochboost]

The way I look at it, my pistols will prove to be reliable or not, and it has nothing to do with what the factory says one way or the other.

 

[breech]

That's why I noted on my first post that there are thousands of M&Ps in circulation that are running fine. I'm just super paranoid since my life could depend on it. I guess I'm reading too much into the small and isolated problems. On a range/comp gun it's perfectly fine.

What did I expect S&W to say? I honestly didn't think about that. I guess it's a non-issue to them at this point.

 

[MTech]

Many other LEO's are using them no problems..even the one local department is using it here I talked to an officer at the gas station the other day about his and he was raving over how the trigger is much better than his Glock which he doesn't carry anymore.

 

[breech]

I'll just play it by ear and see how it goes. I haven't hit my 1000 round mark yet so I'll see if any problem(s) will pop up.

 

[nikon777]

Revolver's jam, Glock's kaBoom, M16's have jammed, flintlocks misfire...you want reliability stick with a rock.

The trouble is that in our new fangled information age, any little problem gets maximum exposure, ESPECIALLY in a user group such as this. There are only a few hundred regular posters, as opposed to tens of thousands of S&W's out there.



What were you expecting S&W to say? "Only x percentage of XXXXXX have had any problems, your's isn't on our list of ones that will have a problem."

 

[choochboost]

I'll just play it by ear and see how it goes. I haven't hit my 1000 round mark yet so I'll see if any problem(s) will pop up.

Good plan. I was concerned at first as well which is why I held my breath until 1000 rounds, but it runs great and my mag catch is not wearing. Hopefully your experience will be like mine.

 

[coltman1985]

If it is after MPBxxx and is REV N or later you should have nothing to worry about!!

 

[snscott]

I am slowly regaining faith in my MP40 (although now that I have been bitten by the 10mm bug, I have a conundrum

).



Anyway - ANY gun you buy - THAT individual gun is exactly that: An Individual. It might run fine. It probably will run fine since more guns run fine than fail. But that particular individual one you got just might be the one that breaks at any given moment in time. Every time you pull that trigger - I don't care if it is on an MP, a Glock, a SIG, or an HK - every pull is a new roll of the dice and something just might not work.



If this happens in a gun fight, well, then that's just God's way of saying "It's your time, partner".



Ok, ok, so not really on an HK, because that is what Jesus shoots, but for every other brand this holds true.

 

[choochboost]

Ok, ok, so not really on an HK, because that is what Jesus shoots, but for every other brand this holds true.

 

[ToddG]

That's why I noted on my first post that there are thousands of M&Ps in circulation that are running fine. I'm just super paranoid since my life could depend on it. I guess I'm reading too much into the small and isolated problems.

Do you read other brand-related forums? I don't think you'll find any make or model that is free from these occasional issues. If you wait around for the gun that no one ever has a problem with, you'd better get used to using your baton ... a lot.



I've seen Glocks kB! and owned a G19 that suffered the famed "Phase III Malfunction" problem almost 30 times in 6,000 rounds; I broke the firing pin on a USP40; I've broken the locking block on a Beretta 92-series; I've had a SIG shut down from a broken takedown lever and another from a broken extractor. My M&P, which I am carrying every day, had a feed failure in the first few hundred rounds.



It happens. Shoot enough, and you'll break guns. Shoot enough guns, and you'll find ones that slipped something past QC. Anyone who believes any company's QC catches 100% of all problems is kidding himself. Anyone who thinks gun companies can afford to institute QC processes that strict is on crack.



The brutal reality is that whatever gun you choose, whatever gun you are issued, odds are it will be fine ... but there is a chance it might fail you when you need it most. Carry a backup, train like your life depends on it (because it may), and remember that mindset wins more fights than bullets do. And if your time is up, your time is up. Eventually, that's going to happen, too.

 

[breech]

ToddG, thanks for putting things into perspective for me. 8) I do have a P3AT for backup.

 

[ToddG]

No problemo, bro. Put 200 rounds of duty ammo through your M&P and if it runs fine, you have as much assurance as you'll ever get. Stay safe!



edited to add: And I'm jealous about the P3AT, they're illegal here in Maryland. You know, The Free State!

 

[breech]

P3AT illegal in your state? Huh? I never knew.. :?

 

[YukonGlocker]

 

[MTech]

No problemo, bro. Put 200 rounds of duty ammo through your M&P and if it runs fine, you have as much assurance as you'll ever get. Stay safe!



edited to add: And I'm jealous about the P3AT, they're illegal here in Maryland. You know, The Free State!

I hear it's next to impossible to get a permit down there.. My buddy is in military and it still took him a year.

 

[jfinet]

Coltman ... move it up a little

I have a MPNXXX and after 1100 rounds ... mag drops ... so maybe you need to move your marker up a little

... if only 1% of owners have the problem ... and I am one of the 1% ... then that is too many for me! John

 

[Harlie]

Strange

It's strange that you would question the reliability of a S&W M&P and carry a Kel-tec as a back up. Any device made by man is subject to a failure. But to date, I've developed a trust in S&W products that I don't have for many others. My M&P has been a trooper so far and have no issues regarding reliability. Any new item made will have some issues, and S&W have addressed them as they appeared, Rev "N" has been good to date. Shoot it till you can trust it and then carry as a duty firearm, would be my suggestion.

 

[DHart]

Unfortunately, I don't feel that 1000 rounds is a reliable indicator that an M&P won't drop it's mags at any time. Sorry for the pessimistic view, but I've been through plenty of highs, then unexpected and disappointing lows with usage of my M&P. At long last and three trips back to S&W, S&W finally gave me a new frame (after pronouncing during two trips back to the factory that the frame was fine).



Honestly, now I would need closer to 2000 trouble free rounds with no mag drops and no noteworthy wear on the mag catch before cautiously adopting a feeling of confidence with the gun and using it for carry. I love the feel in the hand, the trigger, and the accuracy - but the mag catch integrity is, in my view, a huge "achille's heel" for the M&P. Unfortunately, such high round count function testing is expensive and time consuming and at present, I'm enjoying another gun model (Glock 23) which hasn't shown me any need for exhaustive function testing.



BTW, my persistent mag drop problems were with an MP-N--- serial number version 40 Compact.